Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 745 Although Ten Thousand People

Looking calmly at the clearly hostile monster before him, Lu Zheng asked, "What's wrong?"

The demon's eyes gleamed, and he said with a smile, "You must be a human cultivator, right? The scent on your body is quite unusual. Would you like to sell some of your essence and blood? I can help you find some generous buyers so you can earn some spirit stones..."

Here, selling blood and flesh is out of the question; it's common to even slaughter humans or demons in the street for sale.

The demon thought Lu Zheng was quite easy to talk to, but he didn't know how strong Lu Zheng was, so he suggested testing him and maybe he could make some money from it.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng slightly raised his right hand, and strands of blood seeped from his palm, forming a bead of blood the size of a broad bean, emitting an even more distinct odor.

Some of the monsters nearby, smelling the aroma and seeing the drop of blood that was as clear and translucent as a gem, could hardly contain their burning desire.

In their eyes, this was an extremely rare drop of precious blood, arousing their bloodlust.

"want to?"

Lu Zheng glanced at the monsters that had gathered around him, a cold glint in his eyes.

As soon as he had a thought, the blood droplet flew straight up and then suddenly exploded.

Upon seeing this, the demons paused slightly. Some of them reacted quickly and leaped into the air, attempting to use magic to collect the fine, invisible blood mist that permeated the air.

However, at the same time, the righteous energy of heaven and earth contained in that drop of blood was released.

When the surrounding monsters came into contact with the aura, they all felt uncomfortable.

Lu Zheng's blood can indeed be considered precious blood, but it contains pure righteous energy from heaven and earth.

These evil-hearted monsters found Lu Zheng's human scent tempting, but to actually come into contact with Lu Zheng's blood would be tantamount to touching a deadly poison.

Before the demon could even react, it melted away like ice and snow, leaving not a trace of its body in the blink of an eye.

The monsters around Lu Zheng who coveted him were either reduced to ashes or seriously injured and fled in terror...

The passing monsters who were a little further away all walked away, not wanting to get involved in any trouble.

At the city gate, several demon guards witnessed this scene. They were all slightly surprised, but none of them made any move and continued to stand guard at their posts.

People and demons die every day in Yongding City. It's not surprising that some human cultivators kill some demons. If they can kill demons outside the city, it means they are capable and not to be trifled with...

The salary for guarding the city gate for a month is meager, and the monsters they kill have nothing to do with them, so there's no need to offend anyone. As usual, they turn a blind eye and pretend they didn't see anything.

Lu Zheng casually eliminated some malevolent demons with malicious intentions, then strode towards the city gate, passing directly through the thick gate passage into the city.

After walking a few steps, Lu Zheng looked at a demon guard beside him.

"Don't you need to check my identity?"

The demon guard's expression hardened upon hearing this, and he quickly forced a smile, saying, "This... young master is joking. There are so many people coming and going in Yongding City every day, it's impossible for us to check everyone one by one... We usually check those who look suspicious and have committed crimes and are wanted. Young master looks like a kind person, there's no need for that!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng continued walking inside.

Upon entering the city, one is filled with an even stronger aura of evil and malevolence than outside, giving one a sense of utter chaos and disorder.

Lu Zheng walked down the street. The street was quite wide, but the road surface was uneven, with potholes and puddles in many places, and it had a pungent smell.

All sorts of people come and go on the street.

Some people were huddled on both sides of the road selling their heads; some slaves were driven to their knees and crawl like dogs and horses by their masters; some women dressed naked were selling smiles and soliciting customers on the street; some people dressed in fine clothes were arrogant and domineering; and some people who were barely clothed had numb eyes and moved like walking corpses...

Along the street, various kinds of meat were hanging for sale, including human hands and feet...

From the luxurious restaurant came the sounds of singing, dancing, laughter, shouting, and pleas for mercy...

There were even some scenes that were too horrible to look at and indescribable.

Along the way, what I saw and felt revealed all the ugliness and evil in the world.

Lu Zheng felt as if he were walking through a living hell.

He came into this world and traveled countless miles from Kaiyang County in Anguo, witnessing countless hardships along the way.

He had seen everything he saw in Yongding City in other places, but not in such a concentrated way.

But Lu Zheng has not become numb to this; on the contrary, his heart, which is dedicated to speaking out against injustice, has become more and more resolute.

After a short while, Lu Zheng walked through several blocks and stopped.

He tilted his head slightly, and before him lay a magnificent palace, a place brimming with spiritual energy, like a fairyland on earth, completely different from the previous neighborhoods.

This is where the high-ranking people of Yongding City reside.

Everything looked so beautiful, but such beauty doesn't belong to everyone; only a very few people possess it.

Some people, demons, and monsters, even if they suffer in Yongding City their whole lives, are not qualified to set foot in this place.

Lu Zheng's eyes were cold, and an invisible, powerful aura was released at an extremely fast speed, quickly sweeping across all parts of Yongding City.

The formations in many places have reacted as a result.

In a short time, all the humans, demons, and ghosts in the city sensed something amiss, as if some pressure was preventing them from taking any action.

Within the city, some powerful individuals with keen senses searched for the source of the aura.

Soon, several people came into Lu Zheng's view.

A powerful demon frowned, scrutinizing Lu Zheng, and questioned, "Who are you? How dare you release your aura here, disrupting the city's order..."

Having stayed in Yongding City for so long, this was the first time someone had so brazenly released their aura, even affecting the residences of nobles and powerful figures.

"Taiping Domain, Lu Zheng."

Lu Zheng spoke slowly, his voice cold, "I have something to say here, but you are not qualified. Let those who can make decisions in Yongding City come over!"

The expressions of the beings who came from various places changed upon hearing this.

They had heard of Lu Zheng's name before; just a few days ago, some people were still discussing Lu Zheng and that so-called advocacy book. How come he's here so soon? What's he up to?

Upon seeing Lu Zheng's demeanor, it was clear that he had come with ill intentions.

Some people quietly retreated upon seeing this, while others secretly sent messages to higher-ranking figures in Yongding City.

After all, it was rumored that Lu Zheng had the strength to kill a powerful demon in the Tongxuan Realm, so they dared not put on any show in front of Lu Zheng. They still had to let a more powerful figure deal with this one.

Seeing that Lu Zheng had not concealed his aura, none of them chose to approach him, keeping a wary distance.

Before long, a number of powerful individuals, dressed in fine clothes and exuding an extraordinary aura, arrived.

A streak of light flashed, and a powerful aura surged from afar.

Immediately afterward, an elderly man dressed in a magnificent robe appeared before the crowd. He was a powerful cultivator from Yongding City who had attained the Dao. The old man narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Lu Zheng and said leisurely, "Young man, I've heard you're a Confucian cultivator from the human race, but judging from your appearance, you're not very polite!"

Lu Zheng was coming to see them, and he actually made such a fuss, which made the whole of Yongding City uneasy.

Such an action is hardly something a Confucian scholar of the human race would do.

Lu Zheng remained calm and said, "Being polite? You should only talk about politeness with people who understand it. So sometimes it's not necessary."

Upon hearing this, everyone present changed their expressions. They had seen arrogant people before, but never anyone so arrogant. Wasn't the person afraid of offending others by speaking like that?

The old man's face darkened upon hearing this. He was, after all, a powerful cultivator from a great demon kingdom, with an extremely noble status, yet he was being spoken to rudely by a young human.

The old man said in a deep voice, "What do you mean?"

Lu Zheng said calmly, "The literal meaning. Of course, I'm not targeting you personally; I'm referring to everyone standing here."

Everyone:...

Those present looked at Lu Zheng with disbelief, as if they were looking at a madman.

They couldn't believe that Lu Zheng, alone, would dare to speak like that in front of so many of them, all of whom were at the fifth, sixth, or seventh level of cultivation.

If anyone else had said that, someone would probably have already intervened to suppress it.

But given Lu Zheng's reputation, no one was willing to be the first to test his methods.

At this moment, another middle-aged man slowly approached and said unhurriedly, "You've come here just to show off your verbal skills? Young man, don't think that just because you have some connections you can spout nonsense and act recklessly in the Northern Region..."

Lu Zheng said calmly, "I have come here on business."

The middle-aged man asked, "What?"

Lu Zheng said in a loud voice, "I see that you are incompetent in governing the region. Yongding City is in utter chaos, and I simply cannot stand by and watch. From now on, this place will be under my jurisdiction. Who agrees? Who disagrees?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the room fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.

Lu Zheng didn't pay attention to the different expressions of the people around him and continued, "Not long ago, I initiated a campaign to unite everyone to transform the Northern Region and make this area a better place. Some people don't seem to have taken it to heart?"

Lu Zheng coldly swept his gaze over everyone present, and then said, "Actually, I don't expect you to take this to heart, but with your strength, even if you just lift a finger to open up some more land and grow some crops, not to mention helping other tribes, you could at least help your own people live a little better..."

"Even if it's just a tiny bit, you can't bear to give it away? Is that really so difficult?"

Lu Zheng never expected that some forces would read the proposal and act in every possible way, but they didn't react at all, which made him very uncomfortable.

They are usually so enthusiastic about doing bad things, but when asked to do something good, they are completely indifferent.

Lu Zheng's gaze grew colder as he stared directly at the old man who had asked the question.

"Do you want me to talk to you about manners or reason? Can you really understand that? Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, trustworthiness... what do you possess?"

Lu Zheng's voice echoed throughout Yongding City, causing everyone's hearts to tremble.

Some people showed expressions of fear and unease, while a glimmer of light appeared in the numb eyes of others...

Lu Zheng's tone was icy cold, "There's no need to waste any more words with you. I'm in charge here from now on! Who dares to object?"

How arrogant! The powerful demons near Lu Zheng all had this thought.

Yongding City is a city jointly occupied and managed by several major forces in the Northern Region.

This city is not only geographically important, but also generates considerable revenue every year.

Now someone comes along and says they want to take over this place. Does they think they're some kind of saint? How dare they say such a thing?

The expressions of those few experts who had reached the Dao Inquiry stage were particularly unpleasant; they thought to themselves, "The Northern Region is so vast, Lu Zheng really knows how to pick a place..."

One of them said in a deep voice, "Do you know what you're saying? Young man, think twice before you act."

By doing this, Lu Zheng was essentially making enemies of the most powerful forces in the Northern Region.

They all suspected that Lu Zheng had received instructions from someone to dare to act so arrogantly here.

Lu Zhengdao said, "You are the ones who should have thought things through before acting, otherwise I wouldn't have come here! Unfortunately, it's too late for you to regret it now!"

Lu Zheng's eyes flashed with a brilliant light, and he soared straight into the sky, hovering above Yongding City.

“I have heard of the Master’s great courage. If, upon self-examination, I find no fault in myself, even if I wear coarse clothes, I will not be afraid; if, upon self-examination, I find fault in myself, even if there are thousands of people, I will go forth!”

Lu Zheng's voice was melodious and resounded throughout the heavens and earth.

The righteous energy of heaven and earth came from the nine heavens and burst forth from Lu Zheng's body.

In an instant, the world underwent a dramatic transformation.

The once clear sky instantly darkened, with dark clouds looming over the city, and a suffocating atmosphere enveloped the entire city of Yongding.

On a mountain outside the city, An Dingyuan and the others heard Lu Zheng's words drifting over and saw the change in the sky, all of them looking astonished.

An Dingyuan's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but say, "My goodness, this is really going to turn into a fight! Zhang Daru, should we go back and help?"

As he spoke, An Dingyuan was already rubbing his hands together, looking ready to strike at any moment.

Looking at the figure standing between heaven and earth, Zhang Wencheng was filled with doubt and unease. Was this person truly choosing to make their move in Yongding City?

Seeing Lu Zheng's stance, this wasn't just making an example of someone; it was actually killing the monkey...

He thought for a moment and then said, "I haven't received any news from Mr. Lu. Let's all wait here and not make any rash moves, lest we disrupt his plans."

Hearing this, everyone was a little disappointed. They could only crane their necks and look towards Yongding City, wanting to see what skills Lu Zheng could use to subdue the powerful people in Yongding City, and whether he was really as powerful as rumored.

A large area inside and outside Yongding City was covered by Lu Zheng's terrifying aura.

The powerful figures from all races clearly felt an even stronger pressure than before, the oppressive force of the righteous energy of heaven and earth.

The expressions of the several powerful figures who had inquired about the Dao changed; they hadn't expected Lu Zhengzhen to make a move so suddenly.

What should we do now? Should we really take action and suppress them?

Just as they were still hesitating, Lu Zheng was enveloped in a cloud of colorful energy.

As Lu Zheng raised his hand, he took out three classic books.

The golden Buddhist scriptures released an invisible force of cause and effect, instantly allowing Lu Zheng to perceive all that existed below more clearly.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Zheng held the Taiping Codex in his hand, and aura surged from the codex into the sky.

In an instant, dark clouds rolled in from the sky, and thousands of thunderbolts rained down.

The entire city of Yongding was instantly submerged in a sea of ​​lightning. (End of Chapter)